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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23998150">Cerberus Force - Orphanmaker and the IX-Men</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/propheticdreams/pseuds/propheticdreams'>propheticdreams</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Some Heroes Wear Capes [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Critical Role (Web Series)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Animal Abuse, But there's also some humor, Caleb Widogast is a Mess, Child Abuse, Gen, Human Experimentation, Kidnapping, Mighty Nein as Family, Modern AU, Nobody has magic except for the Mighty Nein, Obann is his own trigger warning, Shenanigans, Spies/Assassins AU, Substance Abuse, Teen Pregnancy, The Cold War extends into the modern day because I refuse to do research, The Mighty Nein are kids, Trent Ikithon Being an Asshole, Yasha's Backstory (Critical Role), cold war au, superhero au, this is dark y'all</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 21:36:01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,568</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23998150</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/propheticdreams/pseuds/propheticdreams</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The year is 2019. The Cold War between the communist Kryn Union and the capitalist Dwendalian Republic never ended, and in fact is more hostile than ever.</p><p>Since the Second Calamity a few thousand years ago that wiped out all the gods, magic has disappeared from Exandria. But over the past few years, the Cerberus Assembly has discovered a few rare children with magical ability. These children were taken from their families and honed into a team of elite spies, a secret weapon against the Kryn. The Assembly refers to these children as the Scourgers.</p><p>They refer to themselves as the Mighty Nein.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Some Heroes Wear Capes [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1730605</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>46</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Cerberus Force - Orphanmaker and the IX-Men</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Yeah, so this is going to be a fun one. I don't usually write AUs, but this seemed really fun. (Also this isn't technically an AU, but you're not going to find that out until the sequel! Muahaha!)</p><p>The inspiration for this was basically a weird mashup of Stranger Things, X-Men, Teen Titans, and Portal 2 - but like, if those things were put through a blender and amped up to Widogast levels of fucked. It's partially a feel-good story about finding friendship and triumphing over incredible odds, but it's also like... Widogast levels of fucked. Dark humor, let's call it dark humor.</p><p>Anyway, here's the prologue. Hope you enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Agent #1: "Caleb Widogast"<br/>
Birth Name: Bren Aldric Ermendrud<br/>
Age: 18<br/>
History: Bren was the first child with magical ability discovered within the Republic. He was taken from a psychiatric hospital after accidentally killing his entire family. Bren was taken in at the age of 14 and formed the beginning of the Scourger program. Little was understood about magic at the time, and so testing was more extensive than on the other agents. As a result of this, Bren has been observed to display hostility towards the heads of the program. Recommend close surveillance and frequent use of anti-magic manacles.<br/>
Observed Abilities: Fire manipulation is the primary and most powerful ability, though he has struggled in the past to control it (see History). The agent can also summon an apparently magical creature at will (see Agent 1.a). Finally, the agent has been shown to have the ability to sense magical ability in others, which may be extremely useful to the program if it can be ensured that he will be honest about what he senses.<br/>
Agent 1.a. "Frumpkin"<br/>
The magical creature designated “Frumpkin” can take several different animal forms, but is most often seen in the form of a ginger tabby cat. It has been observed to teleport at the command of its owner, and in fact to obey all commands given to it by said person. Despite many attempts, it does not seem to be possible to compel it to obey any other master. Due to its ability to become incorporeal at will, it proved extremely difficult to capture it for testing. After some time it became apparent that “Frumpkin” would only disappear when its owner snapped his fingers. Tightly binding Bren’s fingers made it possible to sedate and vivisect the creature, although he showed visible distress when it was cut open - despite being unable to directly see it. Testing of the creature’s own nature, in addition to the nature of its relationship with Bren, suggests that “Frumpkin” has an existence separate from its owner, and is most likely a minor extraplanar entity that has somehow formed a psychic bond with a human, rather than a construct of Bren’s own magic. Further research is required to confirm this.</p><p>Agent #2: “Nott Brave”<br/>
Birth Name: Veth Brenatto<br/>
Age: 17<br/>
History: Before coming to the Scourger program about a year ago, Veth was the product of a broken home, whose kleptomaniac tendencies and frequent drunkenness earned her the ridicule and hostility of her peers. Delinquent but intelligent, she met Yeza Brenatto (a chemist with no known magical ability) at a science fair. They entered a relationship and eventually married, leaving Veth pregnant at 16. When she was taken in, she was living in extreme poverty with her husband and young child, staying afloat mainly by shoplifting. Extensive testing left her with visible facial and chest scarring, which resulted in a toned-down testing program for later agents. Her son, Luc Brenatto, has thus far shown no magical ability, but continued surveillance is recommended. Veth poses an escape risk and should be constantly monitored.<br/>
Observed Abilities: The most obvious ability is that which allows Veth to change shape between a rotund halfling girl and a young goblin woman. She does not appear to have much control over this ability, and tends to shift into goblin form at random. Her goblin form appears to cause her serious bodily dysphoria, and she shows visible distress at shifting into it. Veth has also shown abilities related to telekinesis and invisibility, both of which she displays fine control over. Finally, she appears to be able to secrete poisons and other chemical substances through her goblin claws and teeth. All of these abilities are more easily observed when she is intoxicated, which appears to give her better control over them. Recommend she be supplied with as much alcohol as required.</p><p>Agent #3: “Traci Cobalt”<br/>
Birth Name: Beauregard Lionett<br/>
Age: 16<br/>
History: Beauregard came to the program at the age of 15 after being expelled from military school; her parents refused to take her back, and as a result she became homeless. She has an extensive history of theft, fraud, violent behavior, and other delinquency; her therapy files note an extremely rebellious personality and an almost reflexive hatred for authority, possibly as a result of domineering parents. Because of this, working with Beauregard has been extremely difficult. Am outside contractor (see "Dairon," employee file #35) has been employed to condition her for compliance.<br/>
Observed Abilities: Abilities are largely physical, including extreme speed and easily running up vertical surfaces. She has a measured jump height of over ten feet. In addition, there appears to be some potential for manipulating the life force of opponents. Beauregard's lack of patience has thus far made testing the extent of her abilities difficult.</p><p>Agent #4: “Mollymauk Tealeaf”<br/>
Birth Name: Unknown (possibly Lucian or Lucy)<br/>
Age: Unknown (most likely between 13 and 16)<br/>
History: Mollymauk came to the program about ten months ago after being removed by Child Protective Services from a traveling circus, which was disbanded and its members arrested for drug trafficking. Upon questioning, police officers discovered that they were illiterate and only semi-verbal, did not know their age, could not say where they were from or who their parents were, and had no explanation for the many half-healed injuries they appeared to have sustained at an unknown time. Further investigation revealed that Mollymauk had no memory of their life before two years ago, and that their earliest memory was waking up after having been buried alive. A criminal investigation into the possible culprits turned up nothing of substance. The Cerberus Assembly was able to discover that Mollymauk appeared to have been ritually sacrificed by a small cult that viewed their magical powers as sacred to the cult's deity; their amnesia is surmised to be the result of trauma. As of recently, they still struggle with social boundaries, moral judgements, self-expression, and self-restraint, showing the mental development of a significantly younger child. Daily therapy has made some progress towards age-appropriate behavior.<br/>
Observed Abilities: Most of Mollymauk's abilities appear to be related to some kind of blood magic, and are triggered by self-injury. He has been observed to produce light, freeze things and people, cause temporary blindness, and inflict spontaneous wounds. It is difficult to ascertain the nature of these abilities due to Mollymauk's lack of memory and inability to conduct extended interviews. </p><p>Agent #5: “Oskar Tusktooth”<br/>
Birth Name: Fjord Stone<br/>
Age: 11<br/>
History: Fjord was taken from a group home for at-risk orphans, in which he was chronically neglected and not properly cared for. At the time of his adoption into the program about 9 months ago, he was malnourished and suffering from multiple infections. Since then, a careful regimen of diet and antibiotics has brought him to a much healthier state, but spending an extended period of time in an unhealthy environment has stunted his growth and rendered him vulnerable to further infections. Regular appointments with a physician are critical.<br/>
Observed Abilities: Fjord's abilities are largely water-based, and seemingly manifested at the age of 9 when he was nearly drowned by a caregiver. He has repeatedly stated that they were "given" to him by what he describes as a "big scary sea monster." (see Agent 5.a.) Fjord often has dreams about this entity, after which he tends to show extreme distress. After some of these dreams, seawater appears to spontaneously manifest in his lungs, as though he were physically drowning despite being on dry land. Monitoring his neural activity has shown abnormally high levels of cortisol during REM sleep. The abilities manifested through this apparent bond include the ability to spontaneously summon a sword, a mild form of mind control, the ability to change his appearance, the ability to create and fire beams of energy, the ability to control water, and advanced illusions.<br/>
Agent 5.a. “Uko’toa”<br/>
Fjord's young age makes it difficult to fully confirm the existence of the entity he claims to be the source of his magic. Multiple different types of dream studies appear to imply that he is in fact communicating with something psychically, but some program therapists have suggested that "Uko'toa" (as it was designated by Fjord himself) is merely a manifestation of his own insecurities and fears, symbolizing his feelings of powerlessness against cruel authority figures. Further study is required to confirm or disprove this theory.</p><p>Agent #6: “Jester Sapphire”<br/>
Birth Name: Genevieve Lavorre<br/>
Age: 12<br/>
History: Genevieve's adoption by the program was a particularly difficult case; she had a certain level of notoriety, being the illegitimate daughter of a famous supermodel and a known cartel leader. It took several highly talented agents to remove her from her mother's home without notice; a false corpse was planted to make it seem like she had drowned in the estate's swimming pool, and she was held in a secure location for nearly a month until media coverage had died down. This need for absolute secrecy had a detrimental effect on Genevieve's settling into the program; combined with her strong relationship with her mother (as opposed to the earlier agents, none of whom had healthy parental attachments), this resulted in Genevieve having low loyalty and posing a high escape risk.<br/>
Observed Abilities: Genevieve has shown herself capable of a wide variety of potent magical abilities. The most prominent is healing magic, but she appears to dislike using it; comparatively, it is very easy to get her to demonstrate powers such as sending messages over long distances without the use of an electronic device (an ability which required the Assembly to develop a pair of anti-magic cuffs that could remain on an agent indefinitely, in order to prevent her from contacting her mother), viewing a place or person from anywhere, at any time, changing her appearance, summoning ice, producing harmless thunder, creating an incorporeal clone of herself, and oddly enough, summoning an enormous lollipop. All of these (with the exception of the lollipop) have proved extremely useful to the Assembly.<br/>
Agent 6.a. “The Traveler”<br/>
Genevieve claims that this entity is the source of her powers, though no concrete evidence has been shown that it is any more than an imaginary friend. It has been difficult to glean detailed information about the entity, due to Genevieve’s frequent rambling diversions and tendency to demand sweets in return for compliance. Her insistence that the “Traveler” only makes an appearance when no one is around resulted in an attempt to monitor her bedroom with surveillance cameras; however, the cameras cut out at the exact moment Genevieve claimed that this “Traveler” came to visit her. Investigation showed that the power cords had been physically cut. Security has been substantially heightened since this incident, and far closer attention has been paid to the agent’s descriptions of this entity’s movements. If the “Traveler” is spotted by any employee, he is to be immediately recorded on camera and then detained for questioning.</p><p>Agent #7: "Cornelius Savalir"<br/>
Birth name: Caduceus Clay<br/>
Age: 14<br/>
History: Caduceus is the most recent addition to the Scourger program, and the first to come from outside the formal borders of the Dwendalian Republic. Removing him from his home living situation required delicate precision, as the Assembly does not technically have jurisdiction over the Shadycreek Autonomous Region, and interfering with the movements of its nationals could easily have provoked conflict. Intel suggested that Caduceus was living in the presence of a large family, and thus it was expected to be difficult to extract him; however, the agents who arrived found him to have been abandoned on the family’s land, caring for its graveyard and temple by himself. Questioning only revealed that his family had gone on some sort of “quest.” Agents have been dispatched to track down Caduceus’ family and ascertain the nature of this unexplained mission, with the expectation that some or all of his family members are either aware of his magical ability, or have such abilities themselves. No sign of their whereabouts has yet been reported.<br/>
Observed abilities: Caduceus is extremely adept in healing magic, and appears to be able to promote growth in plants. He has also claimed to be able to communicate with animals, but it is unclear whether this is true; an experiment is pending approval to test this ability using Agent 1.a (“Frumpkin”). Caduceus has stated that he is able to dramatically speed decomposition in corpses, but when provided with cadavers showed extreme distress, describing the embalmed bodies as “trapped” and expressing a desire to “liberate” them. He was able to prove this ability, but only after displaying an unexpected level of rage towards the program leaders for “mistreating” the cadavers. Multiple agents who were involved in the experiment quit after this incident, reporting that the subject is “too creepy to handle.” Finally, Caduceus has demonstrated some potential for psychically manipulating emotions. </p><p>Enemy Agent File - “The Orphanmaker”<br/>
Birth Name: As yet unknown<br/>
Age: Reports indicate teen years; most likely between 15 and 18<br/>
History: The possibility that the Kryn Union may have a magical agent of their own came to the attention of the Assembly when Cerberus Force Agent #4 (“Mollymauk”) recalled seeing a uniformed Kryn girl summon lightning at a carnival performance in a Kryn border town. Investigating this allegation immediately became the top priority for all field agents, and the existence of this girl appears to have been confirmed. It is believed that this Kryn agent (apparently designated “Orphanmaker”) is the only magic-wielding agent they currently have, but it is of critical importance that the Cerberus Assembly prevent them from acquiring any additional such agents. Field expeditions to find children with magical abilities within the Kryn Union itself are now officially authorized; the risks of forcibly extracting Kryn nationals are now outweighed by the risks of allowing the Kryn to develop a magic program of their own.<br/>
Observed Abilities: The only confirmed ability this Kryn agent is known to possess is the ability to summon lightning. It is, however, most probable that there are other abilities, as all magic-wielders thus far discovered have had multiple powers. There is some intel that suggests she may be able to enter a kind of trance state that confers extreme strength and resistance to damage; however, it is not clear if this is magical or some form of advanced field training. Discovering the “Orphanmaker’s” abilities and developing strategies to neutralize them is currently a top priority.</p><p>Enemy Agent File - “The Shadowhand”<br/>
Birth Name: Unknown; reported to be of the Kryn high-status clan (‘den”) known as the “Theyless”<br/>
Age: Unknown; appears to be a young adult recently come of age<br/>
Profile: Intel on this agent is a matter of days old, and therefore this file is incomplete; any information may be inaccurate or otherwise subject to change. This apparently high-ranking official in the Kryn government has approached the Assembly offering classified intel on the inner workings of the Kryn Union, but demands in return access to the Assembly’s knowledge of magic. He claims to have magical ability himself, which is being used by his superiors to alter the flow of time in the Kryn Union’s favor. This is unconfirmed, and the official recommendation is to trust nothing he says. However, it is important that channels of communication with this individual remain open until it is possible to ascertain the true nature of his interest.</p>
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